In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/210,626, filed on Mar. 18, 1994, entitled "AN INDEPENDENT LIFT", naming the inventor of the invention described herein, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,238, issued Jan. 24, 1995, there is disclosed a device for moving an invalid or handicapped person from a poolside into a pool. The invention disclosed therein deals with a motorized mechanical device which allows independent movement into and out of a pool of water, which device may or may not be under the control of the invalid or handicapped person, and a device in which there is enhanced security for the invalid or handicapped person from falling, or slipping from the support of the device, or being immersed in the pool water for a time longer than desired, or for a depth that is not desired, or from being moved to dangerous heights above the poolside in order to accommodate the movements of the device, and which allows for the mounting of the device from the back of the device which is away from the edge of the pool, and which provides a barrier to accidental slippage into the pool.
In that application, Morris describes a portion of the inventive device as a "support device", which is a generic term for a chair to support a human form.
As described therein, the chair is a "sling" type chair, in that, it is suspended from a supporting shaft of the lifting device, rather than being fixed to a support column or the like.
This invention deals with a novel sling type lift chair that is useful in the independent lifting device, wherein the chair is easily controlled by the person suspended in the lift device, and wherein that person has intimate control over the entire movement of the lift chair.